AcceptED
by CBIzumi
Summary: New chapter uploaded. When an accident sends a traumatic ripple through the cul-de-sac, will anything ever be the same again? Read and review!
1. A New Face, a New Place, a NewCrush?

Ed, Edd, 'n Eddy are copyright a.k.a. Cartoons, Time Warner, Cartoon Network, and anyone else involved. CD is copyright me. And please don't ask what the initials are for, perhaps it will be revealed in the future, if I continue beyond the three chapters I have now. But for now, it's just as mysterious as what's under Double D's hat ;) And right now, no one but the Eds, CD, and a short appearance by another kid are in the story, but I promise there will be much more in the future! Anyway, enjoy the story!  
  
  
  
AcceptED Chapter 1: A New Face, A New Place, a New…Crush?  
  
A moving van pulled up to an empty house situated next to one that was blue in color, with diamond patterns on the front door, located at the mouth of an unassuming suburban cul-de-sac. Doors opened, and shadows move along the paved driveway as a moving crew carried boxes and furniture inside. Shortly thereafter a minivan pulled up, and people climbed out. The side door of the van opened, and a rubber ball designed like a globe fell to the ground. Purple-sneakered feet soon slammed on either side of the ball as someone jumped from the van. A hand bent down to pick up the small globe, as sunlight reflected off a pair of sunglasses. The person glanced at the globe, then entered the house.  
  
~*~  
  
"The kids are gonna fall for this for sure!" Eddy said happily, looking at the model rocket set up on his lawn. "Explain it to me again!" he requested.  
  
"Well, I've calculated this rocket to fly over the lane, and crash land in a tree. Ed will remark that aliens are attacking, the rocket being an extraterrestrial missile. We will then present out 'Anti-Alien' device, and charge the kids a fee for us to…ahem, protect them" Edd dictated.  
  
"This rocket reminds me of the tower built by the mutant mold clods in the movie 'Attacks from Planet Fuzz'" Ed remarked. Edd and Eddy looked at him momentarily before turning to each other and shrugging. When the rocket began beeping, Edd pulled a remote control from his pocket.  
  
"Lift-off is imminent!" he announced. He pressed a couple buttons, then took a few steps away from the rocket. Ed and Eddy joined him. "3, 2, 1, liftoff!" Edd counted, pressing a red button. The rocket launched from its base, but suddenly began leaving behind a trail of smoke as its flight pattern became erratic circles.  
  
"Oh dear, oh dear!" Edd exclaimed worriedly, bringing his hands up to his mouth.  
  
"What's wrong?" Eddy asked.  
  
"It shouldn't act this way! It's out of control!" Edd reported frantically, rapidly pressing buttons on the remote. After a few tries he abandoned it in the grass and began to run after the rocket. "We must retrieve it before someone's eyes get poked out!" Edd called out behind him. Eddy started to follow, but stopped when he noticed that Ed wasn't right behind him.  
  
"Ed, come on!" Eddy said irritably, running after Edd.  
  
"Am I it?" Ed asked, galloping after his friends.  
  
~*~  
  
"There it goes!" Eddy shouted, pointing at the wayward projectile. It flew over the skyline of houses, then began a descent. It entered a downward spin, eventually heading for the "Sold" sign in the lawn of one house. Sign met rocket, as the Eds stopped their pursuit at the curb. They watched the rocket fall to the grass, now only charred pieces of cardboard.  
  
"The alien missile crashed" Ed remarked, slowly blinking.  
  
"It wasn't really an alien missile Monobrow!" Eddy corrected. Ed looked at him and smiled.  
  
"I am Ed!" he said gleefully.  
  
"Oh boy…" Eddy sighed. Edd looked at the two who were standing slightly behind him, and rolled his eyes.  
  
"Is this yours?" a sudden female voice asked. The three boys turned to see the new arrival, and immediately took on silent awe.  
  
Standing there, beside the "Sold" sign, was a girl their age, who was no taller than Edd. She was wearing a backwards red baseball cap, and dark sunglasses. Her sandy colored blonde hair was in a braid, which was hanging over one shoulder. She was clothed in a shirt the color of her hat, a pair of navy blue jeans, and purple sneakers. She lowered her sunglasses and looked at the boys over the top rim.  
  
"Well yes, it is" Eddy answered. The girl looked at the smoldering remains.  
  
"An XZ236? Not the best choice in the world" she commented disdainfully.  
  
"You…know what it is?" Edd asked slowly.  
  
"Yeah, I used to fire them off all the time back home" she replied. Eddy glanced at Edd, and thought he saw a slight glimmer in his eyes. The girl took off her sunglasses, folded them, and put them in her pocket. She held out her right hand. "Name's CD" she introduced.  
  
"CD?" Edd inquired, shaking her hand. "What's it stand for?"  
  
"It's not important" CD replied. The other two shook CD's hand in turn.  
  
"I'm Eddy, and this is Ed and Edd, but we call him Double D" Eddy said. After Ed shook her hand, CD wiped her hand on her shirt. She then looked at Edd.  
  
"Double D, huh? Cute nickname" CD said, smiling. Edd blushed a faint pink, which Eddy saw, but before anyone could say anything, Ed suddenly burst out with "Gravy!". There was a silent moment.  
  
"Umm…ok. Well, would one of you like to show me around the cul-de-sac? Seeing how I just moved here this morning an all" CD asked.  
  
"I would be happy to" Edd quickly offered. Eddy looked at him, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"Alright, meet be here in 15 minutes 'Double D'" CD said smiling. As she turned and walked back in her house with a final wave to the Eds. Edd watched her go, smiling to himself. A grin slowly appeared on Eddy's face as something dawned on him.  
  
"You like her, don't you?" he said slyly, elbowing Edd.  
  
"What'd you say?" Edd asked.  
  
"You like her!"  
  
"Why Eddy, the nerve! I do NOT!"  
  
"Yes you do, I can tell! Now admit it!"  
  
"I am not going to dignify your inquiry with a response" Edd said sharply, turning and walking away. Eddy started laughing.  
  
"If I had wings I could fly" Ed pined.  
  
~*~  
  
Edd stood alone on the sidewalk in front of CD's house, nervously glancing around. One hand was by his side, the other fiddling with the brim of his hat. As he pulled the band of it out in front of his forehead, CD walked up, unnoticed.  
  
"You ready?" CD asked. Startled, Edd released the elastic, the band snapping back against his forehead. He yelped in pain, rubbing the sore spot. "Are you ok?" CD asked sympathetically. Sweat began to bead on Edd's temples, and he quickly nodded. He turned and wiped the sweat away as CD politely giggled. Edd gulped, and turned to face the girl.  
  
"Shall we?" he asked, gesturing down the sidewalk. CD nodded, and they started off.  
  
~*~  
  
"Well, that's the cul-d-sac" Edd stated, as he and CD walked away from Rolf's house.  
  
"You certainly have interesting neighbors" CD said, looking over her shoulder at Rolf, who was shouting "listen before the curd bubbles after the whey" at the two.  
  
"You'll get used to them" Edd sighed.  
  
"I'll take your word for it" CD said, blinking. "Anyway, it's rather convenient that your house and mine are side by side"  
  
"W-why do you say that?" Edd asked, stammering a bit.  
  
"Well, from what you've told me about yourself, we could become great friends" CD explained. Edd thought for a moment, then nodded. There was silence as they walked down the sidewalk. CD glanced at Edd, and smiled.  
  
"So Double D, what is under your hat?" she asked mischievously.  
  
"CD! I can't tell you that!" Edd exclaimed.  
  
"Gimme a quarter and I'll tell ya!" a new voice offered. CD and Edd turned and saw Ed and Eddy approaching them.  
  
"Eddy, you wouldn't!" Edd shouted.  
  
"Nah, I'm your friend!" Eddy said laughing.  
  
"I'm a friend too!" Ed chirped. Picking up the other two boys in a spine-crunching hug. CD giggled.  
  
"Apparently you three have a close knit group" she commented. Eddy opened his mouth to reply, but Ed interrupted.  
  
"My sweater is knitted!"  
  
"That's great Ed" Eddy wheezed out. Ed put Edd and Eddy down, and the two caught their breath.  
  
"Mind if a fourth weasels her way in?" CD ventured.  
  
"What? You? No offense, but you're a girl!" Eddy exclaimed.  
  
"Oh? I hadn't noticed" CD said sarcastically. "I believe I can breathe some life into your old plans, and make up many new ones" she suggested.  
  
"Our old..? How.." Eddy said. He looked at Edd, who pretended to be interested in a nearby ant hill.  
  
"What do you say?" CD asked again. Eddy looked reluctant, but CD gave him her best pleading look. Eddy's eyes glistened for a second or two before he held his hand out to CD.  
  
"Sure" Eddy said. CD placed her hand in Eddy's, and shook it. She looked at Edd, noticing his eyes were focused on her. They smiled at each other before Edd turned back to the anthill, and CD looked back at Eddy.  
  
"Glad to be a part of the group"  
  
~*~*~  
  
Well, that's the end of Chapter 1! There's definitely more to come! 


	2. Coming soon

--Insert new chapter here--  
  
Yeah, I'm going to be writing a new chapter to replace this one, and maybe even a new version of the first. Chapter 5 will also be showing up soon too, I hope xX; Don't worry, you won't miss a THING by skipping this right now. Until Ch. 4, this series isn't very linear anyway :P Thanks to my AcceptED reader(s), and I'll see you when this chap is brand shining new! 


	3. Card Shark

Woo, sorry for the huge delay in adding on the third chapter! But I'm back, and (hopefully) the series will continue on as normal from this point ^^; Same ol' disclaimer: CD is mine, though everything else EEnE is property of Danny Anntonuci, a.k.a. Cartoons, and Cartoon Network. Now, on with the story! ^^  
  
AcceptED Chapter Three: Card Shark  
  
"Boring......"  
  
"No kidding......"  
  
"Such is the general feel of summer. Television shows are in infinite reruns, everyday is either hot and sunny or hot and rainy, and children are too bored to do much of anything."  
  
"Thanks for the lecture, 'Professor'."  
  
"My eyebrow is sweating, guys."  
  
"....That's nice Ed."  
  
The sun beat down on the Peach Creek cul-de-sac, as the summer day reached its peak. The area was quiet, due to everyone inside, enjoying the A/C. Well, almost everyone, anyway. Ed, Edd, Eddy, and CD were sprawled out on Eddy's lawn (Edd was the only one lying on a towel, and the brim of CD's hat shaded her face).  
  
"I wouldn't be surprised if my skin started melting," CD sighed.  
  
"CD, you KNOW that's physically impossible!"  
  
"I was being sarcastic, Double D...."  
  
"We need to think of a way to fleece the flock," Eddy reminded. He flipped over on his stomach, glaring out over the grass blades at the house across the street. "Think, think, think...."  
  
"My brain has fried," Ed said, blinking slowly.  
  
"So THAT'S what happened!" CD joked.  
  
"Enough horsing around, we need an idea!" Eddy snapped, pushing himself up with his hands.  
  
"Eddy, it's too hot to think!" Edd complained, wiping sweat off his bow with a handkerchief.  
  
"I agree, Eddy. Why don't we go inside?" CD asked, giving Eddy a flat look.  
  
"You heard my mom. She wants us to 'enjoy the summer day'," Eddy grumbled, resting his chin in his hands.  
  
"I'm sure you three remember that my house is getting fumigated," Edd announced. "Darn termites," he mumbled under his breath.  
  
"And Ed's smells funny," Eddy commented, glaring at "Monobrow."  
  
"My room smells like the Inner Sanctum of the Hairy Mummy's lair in 'The Plague of the Rotten Bandages'," Ed stated.  
  
"My point exactly," Eddy said flatly.  
  
"Ed, do you even know what 'inner sanctum' means?" Edd questioned. Ed blinked blankly, then grinned.  
  
"Not a clue, Double D!"  
  
"Just as I thought..."  
  
"We could go to my house," CD suddenly suggested.  
  
""I thought your mom was still unpacking," Edd said.  
  
"She is," CD started, sitting up, "but as long as we stay in my room, we shouldn't be in her way."  
  
"Anything to get out of this sun!" Eddy exclaimed. He, CD, and Edd stood up. Edd began folding his towel, then followed the other two down the street. Ed remained on the lawn, staring at the sky.  
  
"Time to go, Ed," Edd piped up. Ed continued lying there, grinning at the clouds.  
  
"Ed, let's go!" Eddy ordered.  
  
"Look guys, that cloud looks like the haunted hand from---"  
  
"Ed!!!"  
  
"Coming!" Ed laughed. He snapped up, and galloped after his friends.  
  
***  
  
"We could sell ice cream," CD half-heartedly suggested. She was sitting on her bed, rummaging through one of her still-unpacked boxes. The Ed's sat in other places in the room.  
  
"Nah, tried it already," Eddy replied, aimlessly looking at the items on CD's desk.  
  
"Ooh, ooh, I know! Let's sell comic books!" Ed excitedly said.  
  
"Waaayyyy too much effort on our end," Eddy rejected.  
  
"We could offer lessons of some sort," Edd said, looking up from the open book he held in his hands.  
  
"Been there, done that," Eddy said, sighing softly. CD picked up a small card from the box, and looked at it. She gasped.  
  
"I got it!" she gasped. "Eddy, hand me that pencil, tape, and some paper," she requested.  
  
"Umm, sure," Eddy said, blinking, while handing over the requested items. CD scribbled something on the paper, then tore it out and taped it to the front of the playing card. She frisbeed it over to Eddy, who looked at it upon catching it. Ed and Edd looked over Eddy's shoulder.  
  
"What is it?" Eddy asked, looking at the quick doodle of a person, and various things written below.  
  
"A sports card!" CD replied, smiling. "See, I figure that we can do some drawings, make up some fake stats, and sell them off as trading cards!" she explained.  
  
"CD, that's brilliant!" Eddy squealed.  
  
"I must admit, the idea does have potential," Edd remarked. CD beamed.  
  
"Let me write the pretty words, let me write the pretty words!" Ed begged, jumping up and down.  
  
"Alright, you can write the words," Eddy said flatly.  
  
"Yay!!!" Ed shouted. Eddy flung the card aside, then rubbed his hands together, dollar signs popping into his eyes.  
  
"Let's get started! I can hardly wait to get my hands on those jawbreakers!"  
  
"I'll gather cards and paper," CD offered.  
  
"And I shall locate writing utensils and an almanac to use for a statistics reference," Edd announced.  
  
"I get to write the pretty words!" Ed said happily.  
  
"And I get to supervise!" Eddy said, pointing a thumb at his puffed out chest. CD rolled her eyes.  
  
"C'mon guys, let's get to work," she prodded.  
  
***  
  
"Come one, come all! Come to the Cul-de-sac Sports Card Shop! We've got all the newest cards at the lowest prices!"  
  
"Eddy, tone it down a little!" Edd requested. Eddy looked at the stand behind him, balling a fist. He whirled around, clutching the megaphone in his hands.  
  
"You gotta be loud, to get their attention, Sockhead!" he argued.  
  
"Well, you don't hafta deafen us," CD retorted. Eddy glanced to her, blinking once, then turned to Edd as he glanced to the girl at his side.  
  
"Thank you, CD! It's refreshing to know I'm not the only voice of reason around here," he said gratefully. CD smiled slightly, then returned to drawing pictures for the cards. Eddy growled softly, then took in a deep breath, raising the megaphone again. But a sharp voice interrupted his oncoming advertisement.  
  
"Hey, 'Dorks' and 'Dorkette!'"  
  
"Hi Kevin!" Ed said brightly.  
  
"Heard you had some cards to sell," Kevin said, sauntering up.  
  
"Only the best ones---" Eddy began.  
  
"All in mint condition!" CD interrupted.  
  
"Spearmint flavor!" Ed laughed. Everyone glanced to him for a moment, then immediately snapped back to what they were doing.  
  
"Lemme see them," Kevin demanded.  
  
"Nuh-uh, not without the protective sleeve," Eddy sing-songed, waving his hand behind him. Ed saluted, and placed a "trading card" inside a remade zipper bag into Eddy's palm. "Don't want to get ink on them, you understand."  
  
"Just gimme the card, dork!" Kevin barked. Eddy handed over the card, and turned to his friends.  
  
"Get your tongues ready, I can taste those jawbreakers already!" he whispered hoarsely.  
  
"Eddy, you're drooling!" Edd said, recoiling.  
  
"Yo, how much?" Kevin asked, waving the item.  
  
"25 cents," CD answered while (unceremoniously) dropping a towel on Eddy's head. He glared at her from under it.  
  
"I'll take it." Eddy whipped around, his eyes gleaming as Kevin flipped the quarter into the air and walked away. Eddy danced forward, catching the coin in his hands.  
  
"It worked!" he said ecstatically.  
  
"I can see that," CD boredly replied.  
  
"Look Plank, cards!"  
  
"Time for Round 2," Eddy snickered, depositing the coin in a jar. He turned to greet the approaching Jonny 2x4. CD sighed softly, drumming her fingers on the stand's top. She glanced to Edd, but froze when her eyes met his. The two stared at each other for a long moment, before simultaneously looking away. They both smiled to themselves, going back to work on the fake cards, as another quarter plinked into the jar. All the while Ed stood there, smiling wide, watching the clouds drift by high above.  
  
Kevin, meanwhile, was heading away from CD's lawn and back to his own. He looked at the card, turning it over in his hands.  
  
"I'd like to take a closer look at this card," he said to no one in particular. He opened the makeshift protector, and slid out the card. He paused at the crude picture and hurriedly scribbled words, as well as the gravy grease stain in one corner.  
  
"There's something fishy about this card," Kevin remarked. As if on cue, the picture's tape gave way, and the slip of paper fluttered away in a breeze. Kevin blinked, then growled, crumpling the card in his hand.  
  
"EDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"Uh-oh," Eddy squeaked.  
  
"I don't like the sound of that," Edd gulped.  
  
"And I don't like the looks of that." The boys looked to where CD was pointing, and gasped. Ed then grinned, and waved.  
  
"Hiya Kevin! Wanna buy another card?" he asked.  
  
"I'm gonna pound you dorks!" Kevin roared, storming closer. He rolled up his sleeves, then leapt onto the stand. The Eds and CD pulled back, their screams echoing over the cul-de-sac.  
  
"YYYYAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
***  
  
"Oww! Ed, get your foot out of my ear!"  
  
"Pass the cheese and peas, please!"  
  
"I suppose we learned our lesson, hmm?"  
  
"Yeah, we won't sell fake cards to Kevin. We'll sell them to everyone else........"  
  
"Edddyyy!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Hold still! I can't help you if you guys don't stop wiggling!" CD pleaded. The sun beat down overhead, as an odd scene played out by the remains of the card stand. Ed, Edd, n' Eddy were literally tied up in knots, first on themselves, then on each other. CD was the only one free, and was currently trying to untangle the bodies of her friends.  
  
"Y'know CD, you're lucky Kevin doesn't hit girls," Eddy grumbled.  
  
"Someone has to free you," CD replied, tugging on Edd's arm.  
  
"Well--ow--this will certainly help in the future, as we get beaten up quite--oww--frequently," Edd stated.  
  
"I feel like the pretzel vendor in 'I Got Attacked by a Mallrat Zombie Who Turned Me Into My Job, Part 3'!" Ed chirped.  
  
"Well, at least someone's happy!" Eddy snapped.  
  
"Look at it this way, you can all be contortionists when you're older!" CD said, straining as she pulled. On the sidewalk was Kevin, who smirked at the scene. He then turned and biked away, the jingle of quarters sounding in his pocket.  
  
~*~*~  
  
That was Chapter 3, the next one should be coming.....eventually ^^;; Read and review, please! ^^ 


	4. Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely

Disclaimer: "Ed, Edd, 'n Eddy" and all its elements belong to Danny Antonuci, a.k.a. Cartoons, Cartoon Network, and all those good people. CD is my own creation. Slight inspiration taken from some of the EEnE angst- fics I've read in the past, most notably "If You Change Your Mind", by Onnachan. Just giving credit where credit is due *nod* So thanks for your unwitting help, other angst-fic writers :P And title is taken from a particular song I like, and was listening to when I started this fic (the song is property of BSB). Enjoy.  
  
AcceptED Chapter 5 - Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely  
  
"Hurry up guys! The candy store closes in an hour!" Eddy shouted.  
  
"Eddy, I seriously doubt it'll take us an hour to walk 3 blocks," CD said, folding her arms.  
  
"Still, hurry up!" Eddy commanded. He turned around, looking at the jar in his hands. Several quarters clinked at the bottom.  
  
The Eds and CD were walking down the sidewalk away from the cul-de-sac, and a rare victory. They had successfully sold off "silver plated collector's items" (read: various junk covered in silver paint or foil) and were on their way to collect their reward: jawbreakers, of course. And Eddy was getting more pumped up the more he looked at the money.  
  
"I still can't believe we actually pulled something off," Edd remarked. CD looked at him, and nodded once.  
  
"Yeah, that doesn't happen very often."  
  
"Well, it's gonna happen more often!" Eddy burst in. A car screeched somewhere in the distance. Eddy turned towards the others, grinning. "I'm gonna make sure we keep getting money!" he boasted.  
  
"How will we do that?" Ed asked.  
  
"Details, details, I'll think them out later," Eddy replied. He jumped into the street, holding the jar triumphantly over his head. Down the street, the car engine roared, growing steadily louder. "I promise you that from this day forth, none of our scams will fail again!" Eddy cried out, grinning. He quirked an eyebrow when he saw his friends looking past him, rather than at him. Their eyes grew wider.  
  
"Eddy, look out!" CD shrieked.  
  
"Huh?" Eddy said. He turned, his own eyes rounding as he saw a pair of Day- Glo headlights coming straight for him.  
  
Inside a home of Peach Creek, Sarah and Jimmy sewed curtains. Jimmy paused, looking at the window as several screams pierced the calm air of the cul-de-sac.  
  
"What was that?" he asked.  
  
"Probably the Eds trying to get our attention," Sarah replied nonchalantly. The screams faded into the loud squealing of car tires, and the sound of metal slamming into something else.  
  
"And that?" Jimmy questioned, holding the thread above his yellow curtain cloth.  
  
"Same thing," Sarah answered. They both stopped sewing when they heard shouts from Nazz.  
  
"Everyone come quick! Eddy's been hit by a car!"  
  
"Eddy? Eddy??" CD said hurriedly. A car rested nearby, a rather large dent in its previously unmarred hood. Ed, Edd, and CD were kneeling beside Eddy's limp body. CD was shaking his shoulder, trying to get him to wake up. Ed stared blankly; Edd paled at the sight of the blood pooling on the asphalt.  
  
"I think I'm gonna be ill," he said weakly. CD turned to him, and barely managed to catch him just as he collapsed. She turned her head as several of the kids came running up.  
  
"Oh my! Don't look, Plank!" Jonny said, horrified. He covered the eyes of his wooden buddy.  
  
"Whoa...." Kevin said hoarsely.  
  
"Is he breathing?" Sarah asked hesitantly. Jimmy turned green, and looked away, squinting his eyes shut.  
  
"Barely....." CD said softly. She glanced to Edd as he started to come around.  
  
"I can't believe he got hit!" Nazz exclaimed. She took off running, shouting "I'll call 911!" over her shoulder. Edd shakily stood up, resting a hand against his forehead.  
  
"This didn't.....this didn't happen...." he muttered to himself. Ed still stood there, distant eyes fixed to the sky.  
  
"Eddy, don't die...." CD softly pleaded. The next few minutes all seemed to move in slow motion. Eddy's breathing was raspy and jerking, and several of his muscles twitched. Crimson blood glistened in the sunlight, all coming from him. In the crowd, Sarah led Jimmy away. Rolf held the soccer ball still in his hands, too shocked to say anything, for once. Nazz ran up as Sarah walked away. Moments later, the sounds of sirens sounded in the humid air, announcing the arrival of the emergency team. Ed remained silent, as Edd and CD stood side by side, equally quiet. Ambulances pulled up, and shadows of the EMS people played across the street. Eddy was carefully lifted onto a gurney, and wheeled into the back of one ambulance, as the workers from the other went to check on the car's driver. Another gurney was pushed across the street. The crowd began to break, as Ed and Edd got into the ambulances with the workers. CD headed for one, but paused when a hand was placed on her shoulder, holding her back. She turned to Jonny, who was looking at her in silence. She patted his hand, rested her own on Plank, then jogged for the ambulance. As the doors shut behind her the sirens flicked on, and the two vehicles pulled away. Kevin turned, and pedaled back down the street, and Jonny headed home. Near the sidewalk the jar lay, shattered and abandoned, the quarters that'd been within lying scattered over the asphalt.  
  
***  
  
The smell of medicine wafted down the clean hallways of the hospital, as nurses, doctors, and patients alike walked about. Several were gathered in the waiting room, each seemingly off in their own little world. Including a certain three slumped in the chairs over to one corner.  
  
"One minute he's....he's boasting about how none of our scams will fail, and the next....flying through the air...." CD said softly.  
  
"We've had accidents before but.....nothing like this," Edd remarked to himself. He turned to Ed, the only one sitting bolt upright, and staring off into space. "The trauma must have done some sort of damage to his brain. He hasn't said a word," Edd commented, looking at CD.  
  
"Some people deal with things better by remaining silent," CD replied. She leaned back in the chair, and watched people drift by. "Y'know, it's times like these that make me think."  
  
"About what?" Edd asked. He folded his hands together, leaning with his elbows on his thighs, and eyes fixed CD's way.  
  
"About our own mortality, mostly. And what sort of things make us seem invincible, but what other sorts of things break us like the twigs we are..."  
  
"A bit morbid," Edd said. He sighed softly. "But it seems to fit this place." He let his eyes scan the room, before they rested in front. He shut his eyes, and exhaled gently. "Have I ever mentioned that I am not originally from Peach Creek?"  
  
"Never," CD said simply, shaking her head a bit. Edd nodded slightly.  
  
"I moved to the cul-de-sac a couple years ago. I'm not much newer there than you, I suppose," he said quietly, a hint of a smile appearing for a moment. But it faded as Edd continued. "The first people I met were Eddy, and Ed. I don't know how, but we became friends. Of course, that meant I couldn't be friends with anyone else in the cul-de-sac, but things like that occur every now and again..."  
  
"True." CD leaned back in her chair, folding her hands behind her head. Ed slowly blinked; first the left eye, then the right. He said nothing, not even as the shadow of a doctor fell over the three. Edd and CD glanced forward, and slid from the chair to follow him. Ed walked after them, just going through the motions. His face and eyes registered nothing; he moved like a mindless zombie from one of his favorite "B" movies. But they were the farthest things from his mind.  
  
***  
  
A hospital room door slowly opened, as Ed, CD, and Edd walked inside. The beeping of various machines was immediately evident, as was the overall dimness of the room. CD softly shut the door behind her, as she and Edd looked over towards the bed.  
  
Eddy was lying on his back, the cover pulled up to his armpits, though his arms rested atop it. Bandages were wrapped here and there, and several wires led from different parts of his face and chest. His friends regarded the scene for a moment. They said nothing, until finally words crackled from Ed's throat.  
  
".....Will Eddy be okay?" he asked in an innocent, hushed tone.  
  
"I don't know, Ed," Edd softly answered. He shook his head slightly. "I don't....I don't know...."  
  
***  
  
"Man, the cul-de-sac's been way different this past week, huh Plank?" Jonny remarked. The kids were gathered in the dead end of the street, going about their different things, but still talking to each other.  
  
"Yeah, no scammers," Kevin 'interrupted', glancing away from polishing his bike.  
  
"You can't blame them to be worried about him," Jimmy commented in a shaky voice.  
  
"It's just Eddy," Kevin said, balling the rag.  
  
"Show a little more compassion, Kevin," Nazz said, appalled. Kevin glanced at her over his overturned bike, and quickly looked down at the chain, avoiding her dark gaze. "Every day during visitor hours, they've been keeping up a tireless vigil over him. They're actually worried about him!"  
  
"Actually......" Rolf interjected. "Rolf is concerned over the health of Three-Haired Ed Boy as well. He looked worse than Nana's bed sheets after she has beaten the dust from them."  
  
"Sarah, Plank wants to know how Ed's doing," Jonny said, holding out the eternally smiling piece of wood. Sarah sighed, glancing to the doll in her hands.  
  
"My dumb brother's never been more quiet. Even a monster movie marathon couldn't shake him out of his daze." After that comment, the group said no more, an unsettling silence falling over the cul-de-sac like a tipped over bucket of paint.  
  
***  
  
Purple sneakers squeaked against the smooth floor of the hospital room, in time with the heart monitor nearby. CD turned, pacing back the other way, with her hands folded behind her back and her head down. Ed aimlessly fiddled with the crust of that morning's slice of buttered toast, and Edd futily tried to keep his mind off the matter by cleaning the windows. They all froze as the door opened, and a doctor gestured for them to leave. They walked out in silence, heading down the hall and outside of the hospital. Their path home was lit by streetlamps just flickering on in the fading twilight.  
  
"How many days has it been?" CD asked finally, after they'd already gone a few blocks.  
  
"10. Eddy's been unconscious for 10 days," Edd replied. He didn't even have to count them up in his head.  
  
"10 days....." CD repeated to herself. She paused, as a soft glimmer caught her eye. She turned, seeing a coin on the sidewalk nearby, bathed by the light of a streetlamp. She looked at it for a moment, before moving on.  
  
"I miss Eddy, guys," Ed pined.  
  
"We all do, Ed," Edd piped up. There was a long silence, as they approached their homes. Turning the corner, Edd and CD walked for their side by side houses, as Ed headed for his own, where Sarah was waiting.  
  
"I'm telling Mom you're home," she said simply. Ed barely acknowledged the statement, as he continued marching for his basement window. Sarah turned as the simultaneous shutting of CD's and Edd's doors, then shook her head slightly and headed inside.  
  
"It's just not the same without Eddy," Edd commented to no one, as he headed upstairs. He passed pear pictures and miscellaneous sticky notes, and barely paused to remove his shoes before entering his room. He came to a stop just inside, and surveyed the neat and clean atmosphere.  
  
"The cul-de-sac has been stilled ever since Eddy's been gone," Edd sighed. "I guess you don't realize how much of a driving force someone is, until they're gone...." he further mused. He walked over to his desk, and picked up the bleached skull sitting there. "And what if.....what if...." he stuttered. The skull began shaking. Edd gasped sharply, drawing back his quivering hand. The skull hit the desk with a resounding clatter, and Edd shook his head several times.  
  
"No, no, it's not going to come to that!" he exclaimed. He placed a hand over his eyes, and ran it back over his hat. "I suppose I should get ready to bed," he announced to the emptiness of his room. He turned and walked out, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I have nothing better to do....."  
  
***  
  
The sun shone through the sparkling windows, stunningly bright compared to the mood of the room it beamed in on. Ed stared at a painting on a wall, as Edd and CD dozed in their chairs, which were beside each other. Ed glanced to them as CD fell over to the side, softly thunking against Edd's shoulder. Then, movement at the edge of his vision caught his attention, and Ed whirled around. He gasped, seeing Eddy's hand slowly raise from the bed.  
  
"Guys! Get up!" Ed shouted. CD and Edd stirred, slowly sitting up. They glanced to each other, blushing faintly. CD then looked past Edd, to the bouncing Ed.  
  
"What's up?" she asked.  
  
"Eddy's moving! Eddy's moving!" Ed abruptly reported. Edd and CD shot from their chairs. Across the room, Eddy's hand rested against his forehead, as he winced lightly.  
  
"Oww....where am I?" he asked, voice raspy.  
  
"In the hospital Eddy," Edd hastily answered. The excitement in his voice was evident, but he was holding it back.  
  
"The hospital??" Eddy repeated, stunned. His eyes snapped open and he moved to sit up, but cringed at a searing pain in his side, that brought him back to his pillow.  
  
"Don't you remember? The headlights, the car...." CD said slowly. Eddy flinched at the memory, and carefully nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I remember now....." he said. His eyes looked from side to side, as Edd and CD came into view. Ed was bounding in the background. "How long was I out?"  
  
"12 days, Eddy," Edd answered.  
  
"12 LONG days," CD amended.  
  
"12 DAYS?!" Eddy exclaimed. "What's going on? What'd I miss? What have you been DOING while I was here?!?!" he rattled off.  
  
"Slow down, slow down," CD softly giggled. She smiled. "The cul-de-sac's been pretty quiet, actually. And us...well, we've been here."  
  
"Here?" Eddy asked, giving them a look of clear confusion.  
  
"Mmhmm," Edd nodded. "Every day we've been here, waiting to see when you'd wake up."  
  
"We've been good friends, Eddy!" Ed said, elated and still jumping.  
  
"Well put Ed," CD said. Ed grinned proudly, hugging himself. CD laughed a bit, then blinked as something came to her. She whispered to Ed and Edd, who nodded. CD then glanced to Eddy. "We're going home right now, to give the news to everyone else. We'll be there when you come out---"  
  
"Most likely tomorrow," Edd announced.  
  
"Bye bye Eddy!" Ed said, waving. Eddy raised a hand, waving to the three as they headed out, shutting the door behind them. In the hallway they shared a knowing glance, before starting home. In the room Eddy stared at the door for a long moment, before looking up towards the ceiling.  
  
"They were here....all 12 days....." he whispered. He smiled slightly, then looked at the door as it opened again, and a nurse entered the room.  
  
***  
  
The next day, there was an odd scene in the paved driveway of Eddy's house. Ed, CD, and Edd were gathered; Edd and CD watched as Ed hung a sign on the garage door. CD held an odd package in her hands.  
  
"No Ed, it goes the other way," Edd instructed.  
  
"Oh, okie dokie!" Ed saluted. CD turned as a minivan approached.  
  
"Forget it, there's no time," she said sharply. She and the others turned as the van stopped at the side of the street, and the side door opened. There were the sounds of wheels squeaking, and a metal platform lowered. Eddy moved the motorized wheelchair off the platform, but immediately brought it to a halt when he noticed that the driveway was occupied.  
  
"Welcome home, Eddy!" Ed, Edd, and CD chimed together. The sign on the garage door, though upside down, read the same thing. Eddy looked from face to face, blinking.  
  
"W-what?" he stuttered. He moved the wheelchair forward, but stopped again as Ed ran up to him, putting on the brakes just before knocking him over.  
  
"Ooh Eddy, I wanna sign your cast!" he said excitedly. Eddy glanced to the cast on his leg, then rolled his eyes.  
  
"Alright, Ed....." he sighed. Ed jumped up and down in happiness, and produced a marker from his pocket. He started scribbling on the cast's previously clean, white surface.  
  
"I see they didn't give you crutches," Edd observed, walking forward.  
  
"Yeah, the doc said I had stuff in too many other places to use them," Eddy shrugged, though a bit painfully.  
  
"Do I wanna know what 'stuff' is?" CD chuckled. She walked up, and held out the red paper-wrapped package she held. "Here."  
  
"What is it?" Eddy asked, as it was placed in his lap. CD folded her hands behind her back, and smiled.  
  
"A jawbreaker. Ed, Double D and I pooled what we had, and we were able to buy it for you."  
  
"A jawbreaker? For me? For free???" Eddy asked, surprised.  
  
"Umm, how do you spell 'Ed'?" Ed asked.  
  
"E-D, Ed," Edd answered.  
  
"Thanks Double D!" Ed said happily. He went back to writing.  
  
"Yes Eddy, the jawbreaker's for you. Sort of to make up for the stuff that's been happening," Edd commented.  
  
"How do you spell 'Eddy'?"  
  
"E-D-D-Y."  
  
"Thanks again, Double D!" Edd, Eddy, and CD glanced to Ed, and rolled their eyes. Ed stood up, and smiled. "Done!" he exclaimed. The other three leaned in.  
  
"Meie yowr chikens nevwer ron awayt, aqt yowr gravey nevwer ron dries. Frum Ed teu Eddy," was the message written across the cast.  
  
".....What does it say?" Eddy asked after a minute. Ed nodded purposefully, closed his eyes, and rested a hand over his heart.  
  
"It says: 'May your chickens never run away, and your gravy never dry. From Ed to Eddy'," he recited.  
  
"Oh...."  
  
"I like chickens."  
  
"We know you do, Ed....."  
  
"So, Eddy, what should we do now?" Edd asked.  
  
"Well, I've been cooking up a scam since yesterday," Eddy replied, the old spark coming back to his eyes. "Push me to my house, we've got work to do!" he cried out jubilantly. Ed laughed distantly, and got behind the wheelchair. Edd and CD walked alongside it, up Eddy's driveway, as Eddy began explaining his idea.  
  
"Alright. Double D, you need to get feathers. Lots and lots of feathers. Ed, find a bicycle, a broken stereo, and an old door. CD, you get as much glue and tape as you can find. Oh man, we're gonna be rich!"  
  
~*~*~  
  
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! More to come soon! ^^ 


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